The government in the past has accused insurgents of using the market as a base.

The fighting in Somalia has intensified despite efforts by the United Nations to broker a peace agreement.

Islamist fighters are trying to topple the Somali interim government and drive out Ethiopian troops that support it.

The Elman Human Rights Organization said last week that the fighting has killed nearly 95-hundred Somalis since the start of the insurgency early last year. The group says that number includes 838 civilians killed since June.